Creditors are entitled to contact you to collect unpaid debts.
They can contact you by letter, phone call or home visit but at all times they have to act within the law and obey a number of guidelines. You can find the most important of these in the Office of Fair Trading.
Unfair debt collection practices
This document sets out many examples of what the OFT consider to be unfair debt collection practices. These include:
- Calling you at work without permission
- Discussing your debts with an employer or family member
- Refusing to deal with advice agencies like us
- Pressuring you to borrow more money to pay off debts
- Pretending to have legal powers they do not have
- Adding unreasonable charges
- Continuing to contact you when the debt is being disputed
If a creditor repeatedly fails to follow these guidelines, the OFT can issue a warning, impose a fine or withdraw their credit licence.
The guidance is available to download free from the Office of Fair Trading website.